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Teen Vapor Study Shows No Link With Nicotine Addiction

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A group of researchers in the U.K. have released their results from a research study that disproves the claims of legislators and health officials that vaping addicts children to nicotine and leads to tobacco use.

The study, published in the April edition of BMJ Open measured e-cig usage among under age teenagers and tweens. The research team surveyed over 10,000 school aged children across 150 different schools in Wales. The oldest children that participated were 16, the study included 1600 children aged 10-11.

The purpose of the study was to “examine the prevalence of e-cigarette and tobacco use by age, and associations of e-cigarette use with sociodemographic characteristics”.

The research team made a number of interesting discoveries.

According to their results:

12.3% of the children surveyed had tried an electronic cigarette or vapor device.

8% of the participants reported having never tried any tobacco product.

39.2% of the children who reported being current smokers, said they’ve never tried any vapor product.

Most importantly, the team of researchers found that out of that 12.3% of underage children who have tried vaping, only 1.5% reported that they regularly used any vapor products. The team concluded “Many young people (including never-smokers) have tried e-cigarettes. However, regular use is less common”.

The study strongly suggests there is no link between e-cig use, and addiction to nicotine.

The team also found that regular cigarette smokers were 100 times more likely to use e-cig products regularly, than non smokers.

A larger study still needs to be conducted over a longer period of time, this research shows that vaping does not make a major impact on nicotine addiction in minors.

The study shows that vaping and e-cigs are more appealing to teenagers under 18, but it disproves the CDC and other vape industry opponents that vaping is a gateway to tobacco leads to vaping habitually.